Reel Recap: April-August 2019

In case you didn't catch my review of Doctor Sleep, I'm starting a new review format called "Reel Recap." This will enable me to write brief thoughts on everything I watch monthly going forward. In this first Reel Recap, I'm going to cover every 2019 release I watched from April to August. This includes Pet Sematary, Child's Play, Good Boys, The Art of Self Defense, Guava Island, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, and Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

Reel Recap: April-August 2019

Pet Sematary (2019) - Watched April 4, 2019

Synopsis: Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.
Runtime: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for horror violence, bloody images, and some language)
Who should see it? Adult fans of Stephen King.

In the recent flurry of Stephen King adaptations, horror fans found themselves faced with a new iteration of Pet Sematary. Thirty years after the first attempted feature, directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer chose to take another stab at King's source material. Though it boasts solid performances from a cast of known actors and a few compelling moments of tension, the film's never genuinely gripping. There's plenty to be mined from King's thematic ground, but this remake hardly offers more than a surface level examination. As the title suggests, Pet Sematary is as devoid of life as an empty graveyard and serves as an unfortunate reminder that sometimes, staying home is better.

Film Assessment: C+ 

Child's Play (2019) - Watched June 22, 2019

Synopsis: A mother gives her 13-year-old son a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature.
Runtime: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for bloody horror violence, and language throughout)
Who should see it? Adult fans of Chucky and the Child's Play franchise.

Lars Klevberg's Child's Play reboot hints at sentimentality but fails to find a convincing connection between a boy and his AI doll. The film never amounts to much more than ninety minutes of a rampant doll on a killing spree with superficial messaging against consumerism. There are some creative kills, and Mark Hamill's voice work is fantastic, but CGI-Chucky was very off-putting, and it all felt a bit too over-the-top for my taste. Though slasher fans may enjoy it.

Film Assessment: C+

Good Boys - Watched July 10, 2019

Synopsis: Three 6th grade boys ditch school and embark on an epic journey while carrying accidentally stolen drugs, being hunted by teenage girls, and trying to make their way home in time for a long-awaited party.
Runtime: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for strong crude sexual content, drug/alcohol material, and language throughout involving tweens)
Who should see it? Fans of R-rated comedies.

The premise of Good Boys is simple, it's an R-rated comedy starring 6th graders. That aspect of it can be highly amusing at first. Still, just when the gimmick begins to feel worn out, the film surprises with an endearing message about the value of friendship. Holding it all together are the three lead child actors Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, and Brady Noon. They each sell the naivety of their characters as inappropriate, over-the-top hilarity soon ensues.

Film Assessment: B-

The Art of Self-Defense - Watched July 19, 2019

Synopsis: After being attacked on the street, a young man enlists at a local dojo, led by a charismatic and mysterious sensei, in an effort to learn how to defend himself from future threats.
Runtime: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for violence, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language)
Who should see it? Adults who like dry, off-beat humor.

Written and directed by Riley Stearns, The Art of Self Defense employs biting satire to karate chop the hell out of toxic masculinity. Operating as a quirky, off-kilter comedy, The Art of Self Defense is hilarious and pretty profound. Channeling his trademark awkward energy, Jesse Eisenberg's well-suited to play a down-on-his-luck protagonist and makes the most of the role. Amongst the supporting cast, Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots are notable stand-outs.

Film Assessment: B+

Guava Island - Watched August 3, 2019 (Prime Video)

Synopsis: A young musician seeks to hold a festival to liberate the oppressed people of Guava Island.
Runtime: 55 minutes
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Who should see it? Fans of Donald Glover and Rihanna.

Serving as the streaming equivalent of a tropical vacation, Guava Island relaxes viewers with an eye-catching aesthetic and laidback approach. Coming in just under an hour, you'll be left wishing you could stay longer when it's all over.

Film Assessment: B

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark - Watched August 14, 2019

Synopsis: On Halloween 1968, reclusive Stella and her friends uncover a sinister notebook of stories.
Runtime: 108 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for terror/violence, disturbing images, thematic elements, language, and brief sexual references)
Who should see it? Fans of PG-13 horror.

Translated from Alvin Schwartz's bestselling series of books, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark strings together a collection of short anthology stories into one cohesive narrative. The characters are mostly thinly sketched archetypes realized by subpar actors, and the plot's not particularly strong or compelling in the slightest. Convincing practical effects enhance the scares, but also draw more attention to the hit-or-miss nature of the computer-generated imagery.

Film Assessment: C+

Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Watched August 16, 2019

Synopsis: A loving mom becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of devotion to her family. Her leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to a triumphant rediscovery.
Runtime: 109 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some strong language and drug material)
Who should see it? Fans of Cate Blanchett, Richard Linklater, and the novel.

Cate Blanchett shines in Richard Linklater's latest feature Where'd You Go, Bernadette adapted from Maria Semple's novel. Otherwise, the film's fairly pleasant but rarely scratches beneath the surface to reach its full potential. The core family relationships are endearing, and there's some amusing banter, but there's unfortunately little else of interest.

Film Assessment: C+

'How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature.

Synopsis: Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of a female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they've ever known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destinies are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together to protect everything they've grown to treasure.

Runtime: 104 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG (for adventure action and some mild rude humor)

Who should see it? Appropriate for all ages, though parents should be forewarned that the question "where do babies come from?" may possibly arise in conversation afterward. Up to you how you'd like to address that.

Written and directed by Dean DeBlois, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World concludes the feature-length animated How To Train Your Dragon trilogy based on Cressida Cowell's best-selling children's books. I'm still unsure why The Hidden World broke the series' naming convention, opting for a subtitle instead of "3," but I digress. Subtitle aside, I've eagerly awaited this franchise finale just as much as the many others yet to come this year (i.e., Star Wars: Episode IX, Avengers: Endgame, and Game of Thrones Season 8 to name a few). In the nine years since the release of the original How To Train Your Dragon, I've watched this series with great interest and the first two rank among my favorite animation ever made, so there was plenty of pressure for The Hidden World to be a terrific trilogy capper.

Narratively, DeBlois brings everything full circle with countless callbacks to the previous two entries while continuing to align the respective journeys of Toothless and Hiccup as corresponding arcs. In this third and final chapter, Hiccup's prowess as a leader, companion, and warrior are challenged like never before by an elusive and mysterious dragon hunter named Grimmel plus the prospects of losing Berk, his friends, and his treasured dragon companion above all. Two prior films have cemented how much Hiccup values his home, family, and Toothless, but as this story reaches its conclusion, an interesting notion is suggested. Can human and dragon-kind truly live in harmony? Though their societies integrated effectively, Berk has since been targeted for their dragons. This is one of many dilemmas Hiccup must face as everything draws to a close and the emotional driving force behind the film's bittersweet finale. Like Toy Story 3, The Hidden World offers a poignant resolution which will leave longtime series viewers very teary-eyed.

Of course, the animation is once again exquisite. The Hidden World is full of visual splendor from start-to-finish, and the careful attention to lighting, color, and detail yields breathtaking results. I failed to mention this in my other How To Train Your Dragon reviews, but celebrated cinematographer Roger Deakins was a visual consultant throughout the trilogy, and his contributions were certainly invaluable. As for another indispensable asset, John Powell scored all three films to tremendous effect. Here, Powell's accompaniment retains the series' sense of warmth, whimsy, and wonder. 

Something I haven't addressed yet is Toothless' budding relationship with a Light Fury. Their interactions are quite endearing, and Toothless' attempts to woo her are utterly hysterical...which brings me to The Hidden World's shortcomings. Of the trilogy, The Hidden World addresses the most mature thematic ground, but there's a lot of childish antics throughout. I don't mind efforts to appease children every now and then through comic relief because families ultimately are the core demographic Dreamworks is striving to reach. However, these jokes are often employed at the expense of the grander narrative, and I couldn't help but feel the film would have been better without some of them. To be frank, this complaint has nothing with Toothless but actually involves supporting human characters. 

Carrying over from the previous films, Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Kit Harington, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Wiig reprise their roles while Justin Rupple replaced T.J. Miller as Tuffnut due to negative publicity surrounding Miller on the basis of sexual assault allegations and a false bomb report. The entire cast exhibited exemplary voice work, but Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera have the most substantial material to work with. Meanwhile, the bond between Hiccup and Toothless is as endearing as ever.

In the antagonistic camp, F. Murray Abraham's Grimmel proves to be a worthy adversary. I especially appreciated how he was such a calculated tactician, always one step ahead of everyone. He's fearsome in combat, but the threat he poses in the long term is far greater than the immediate danger. On top of that, his diabolical plot jeopardizes everything Hiccup holds dear, so he pushes Hiccup to his limits in a game of cat and mouse. 

All in all, Hiccup and Toothless' final theatrical outing held the gravitas, emotional heft, and high-flying adventure I'd hoped to see. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a satisfying series conclusion which grants its characters a special send-off. Sufficed to say, the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy has earned its place alongside the greatest cinematic trilogies. Now Dreamworks, no matter how financially successful The Hidden World proves to be, please don't compromise this perfect ending with a fourth installment. As Paul McCartney sang, let it be. 

Film Assessment: A

Recollection Reflection Review: 'How To Train Your Dragon 2'

Continuing my series of How To Train Your Dragon reviews, today I'm revisiting How To Train Your Dragon 2 and I have my eyes set on soon sharing a review of How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Otherwise, you can expect my annual Oscar coverage, an Alita: Battle Angel review, and possibly my long-delayed review for Can You Ever Forgive Me? to all surface online over the weekend and beginning of next week (don't worry, I'll space it out appropriately)!

'How To Train Your Dragon 2' Review

Nominated for: Best Animated Feature.

Recollection- How To Train Your Dragon 2 Review.

Reflection- I first saw How To Train Your Dragon 2 five years ago when it was released in theaters, and I remember being quite impressed with it from the get-go! 2014 was a solid year for animation, and it was not only one of my favorite animated movies to be released that year but one of my favorite movies of 2014 as well. My opinion hasn't drastically changed, but I'm excited to further elaborate on what I love about it this time around.

Review-

Synopsis: Five years have passed since Hiccup and Toothless united the dragons and Vikings of Berk. Now, they spend their time charting the nearby unmapped territories. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons and a mysterious dragon rider. Hiccup and Toothless then find themselves at the center of a battle to protect Berk from a power-hungry warrior named Drago.

Runtime: 102 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG (for adventure action and some mild rude humor)

Who should see it? Since there are darker story elements than the original, I'd recommend it for those ages 8 and up.

Serving as the follow-up to How To Train Your Dragon, How To Train Your Dragon 2 saw writer-director Dean DeBlois strike out on his own to continue the animated film series adapted from Cressida Cowell's best-selling children's books. In the realm of animation, DeBlois had previously partnered with Chris Sanders to co-write and co-direct the first How To Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch, but he'd never directed a feature-length animated film on his own before. Sanders stuck around as an executive producer, but he and Dreamworks let DeBlois take the franchise reigns. Given the success of the original, Dreamworks was eager to make a sequel, but DeBlois remained apprehensive because he was interested in creating something original. Eventually, DeBlois agreed on the condition the franchise be a trilogy. 

One of the more fascinating aspects of How To Train Your Dragon 2 is the decision to age up Hiccup and other Vikings of Berk with the audience. Doing so enables Hiccup to be a more believable action hero and also grants him a compelling arc as he faces the expectations of becoming village chieftain. Naturally, the grown characters demand a more mature narrative with higher stakes and large-scale action. Well, Dean DeBlois delivers all this and more by leaning even further into the series' action-adventure element. This sequel is epic in every sense of the word.

Additionally, How To Train Your Dragon 2 expands its world extraordinarily well. The new locations offer elaborate ecosystems that are visually stimulating. Given the four year distance from the first film, the animation also improved tremendously. Most notably, the character designs are more refined and detailed while the environment evokes a photorealistic aesthetic. It coalesces quite nicely. Elsewhere, John Powell's sweeping accompaniment consists of varied arrangements ranging from grand and heroic to intimate and personal. All of which is an auditory delight.

Reprising their roles, Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig each provide excellent voice work while Cate Blanchett and Kit Harington join the ensemble. Of the bunch, I'd denote Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, and Gerard Butler as stand-outs since their characters are of greater importance, and all four actors step up to the task. All the while, Hiccup's dynamic with Toothless remains a highlight, as this sequel puts their bond through the wringer for the ultimate test.

Rounding out the cast, Djimon Hounsou's Drago is a formidable foil to Hiccup. Hounsou sells the gruff, barbaric nature of the character, but unfortunately lacks the necessary screen time and development to be a memorable antagonist when all is said-and-done. He's powerful and intimidating, but his motivations could have been further fleshed out.  

Animated sequels in the same league as their predecessors are hard to come by, but How To Train Your Dragon 2 flies awfully close to the original. Though it may not measure up on all accounts, How To Train Your Dragon 2 retains the heart, adventurous spirit, and constructive messaging of the first film. It is, by all means, a worthy sequel. 

Film Assessment: A

'Ocean's Eight' Review

After being released from a five year prison sentence, Debbie Ocean sets out to recruit an all-female crew and pull off the heist of a lifetime by stealing a $150 million necklace during New York City's annual Met Gala.

Ocean's Eight functions as an extension of sorts to the pre-existing Ocean's Trilogy, and this is made abundantly clear in the film's opening where it's confirmed that Debbie is Danny Ocean's sister (this is in the trailers). Since I had absolutely no attachment to the Ocean's Trilogy on behalf of never having seen the films prior to a few days ago, I wasn't perturbed when this all-female reboot was announced. In fact, I was somewhat intrigued by the A-list talent assembled for the project and thought the reboot had huge potential. However, I was very surprised not to see a similar backlash which befell 2016's Ghostbusters, since that film was also a gender-swapped reboot. I suppose this is simply because the 1984 Ghostbusters is much more beloved than any Ocean's installment, plus the blowback was lessened by the fact Ocean's Eleven (2001) was already a remake and this spin-off happens in the same universe. 

The lady-led soft reboot was spearheaded by Gary Ross who took up directorial duties, wrote the story treatment solo, and penned the screenplay alongside Olivia Milch. Unfortunately, these are the areas in which I found Ocean's Eight to be the most lacking. While certainly a competently made film, Ocean's Eight lacks its own voice in the ever-growing heist genre and this is largely because Ross seems reluctant to put his own stamp on the film. Where Steven Soderbergh has made an effort to put his own spin on heist films with Logan Lucky and his Ocean's Trilogy, Ross simply retreads old ground with the same franchise blueprints. It's almost as though Warner Bros. saw the toxic fanboy reaction to Ghostbusters (2016) and decided it would be best to play things as safe as possible with a familiar story and nothing new aside from an almost entirely female ensemble. As a result, there's very little to differentiate Ocean's Eight from any of the other installments in the Ocean's franchise or any other heist film for that matter. 

It just felt as though Ocean's Eight was going through the motions of the conventional heist formula. One thing that was particularly bothersome was that **very minor spoiler warning, I guess?**  the heist went off without a hitch. All of the obstacles felt like they were easily overcome in a matter of seconds, so this heist which is supposed to be ridiculously difficult didn't feel like it was much of a challenge for these ladies. Therefore, the heist was devoid of tension and I was never concerned for the characters or their wellbeing (which is another issue altogether). In spite of this, the heist was actually my favorite portion of the film and the section I found to be the most entertaining. There are some decent twists at the end, even though a few were fairly predictable, but the remaining runtime was overinflated with standard setup and an additional twenty-thirty minutes after the heist. Not to mention the wasted time from two scenes that were practically advertisements for Subway and Tinder. They weren't as egregious as the product placement in Power Rangers (2017) or Transformers, but it was enough for me to roll my eyes in the theater. 

Otherwise, the script was lackluster and the characters were underdeveloped and fairly uninteresting. Much of the screen-time is dedicated towards recruiting a crew for the heist, explaining the heist, preparing for the heist, and then executing the heist. Ocean's Eight doesn't dedicate much time towards developing the characters or establishing much camaraderie between the crew so I ultimately didn't care about them. You could also tell that some of the lines that were supposed to be scene-ending zingers didn't really land, and it was really awkward whenever a joke fell flat.

Even though it may seem as if I'm simply ranting about mediocrity, there were elements I appreciated including a couple Ocean's Trilogy cameos, cool transitions effects, the elegant costumes, a funky, upbeat Ocean's-inspired score from Daniel Pemberton, and most importantly, the cast. The film largely works because of the talent it has at its disposal. These actresses elevate their thinly drawn characters and pepper in a little extra personality, but they were mostly typecast to play exaggerated versions of themselves or female versions of their male counterparts from the Ocean's Trilogy. The performances across the board were fine, but there was hardly a standout aside from Anne Hathaway playing a vain actress. When you hear the names Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, and Rihanna, there's a degree of star power associated with those names, and I was mostly disappointed to see so many of these actresses blend into the background.

While not nearly the worst of the Ocean’s franchise, I still felt Ocean's Eight conned me out of two hours. A sequel seems likely based on Ocean's Eight scoring the franchise's highest weekend debut, and I'm actually all in for that regardless of my issues. With a solid ensemble and the potential to easily top this entry, I just hope Warner Bros. lets Ross venture outside the box next time or at least hires someone willing to get their hands dirty and take some risks.

Film Assessment: C+

'Thor: Ragnarok' Review

[This review was originally written in November 2017 and is now being published that my internship is over. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

Thor: Ragnarok picks up about two years after the events of Avengers: Age Of Ultron as Thor is following up on the visions he had regarding the destruction of Asgard, also known as Ragnarok. After seemingly stopping Ragnarok for good, Thor returns to Asgard only to learn Loki has been impersonating Odin since the end of Thor: The Dark World. The two adopted brothers then journey to Earth in order to retrieve the Allfather, but things don't go as planned when Hela, the Goddess of Death, escapes her eternal imprisonment, destroys Mjionir, and the two brothers wind up on the gladiatorial planet of Sakaar. Once there, Thor is made one of the Grand Master's champions and pitted in battle against one of his fellow Avengers, the Hulk. Thor must then find a way to escape Sakaar alongside his friends and make it to Asgard to stop Hela from bringing ruin and destruction to the Nine Relams.

Thor: Ragnarok happens to be the seventeenth installment in Marvel's ever-expanding catalogue of superhero films on top of being the God of Thunder's third outing, so naturally Marvel would want to shake things up, and they have done just that by bringing comedic director Taika Waititi onboard. The Thor franchise honestly needed a facelift, and Waititi rejuvenates the mighty Avenger by infusing his own comedic sensibilities and an electrifying eighties-vibe while fundamentally deconstructing the titular character. Ragnarok effectively integrates the cosmic fun of Guardians of the Galaxy with the world first established in Thor. It's the Marvel cosmos meeting Marvel's take on Norse mythology.

This change-up is made abundantly clear once Thor's mighty hammer is smashed to smithereens, his luscious locks are snipped, and he's thrown into an arena to battle the Hulk. Thor's also traditionally been the straight-man, but someone over at Marvel must have taken note of Hemsworth's natural knack for humor, so instead he spouts quips from the get-go. This departure is a tad unusual and admittedly jarring at first, but you'll settle into the adjustments as the film proceeds. In fact, that won't take too long due to the lightning-fast pacing of Thor: Ragnarok's opening. 

Once the film starts, it doesn't take time to breathe, so the beginning portion of the film effectively feels very rushed with the intention of hurriedly sweeping many of the remaining franchise elements under the rug. For me, the film didn't totally find its groove till Thor arrived on Sakaar. At that point, everything slows down a bit and we spend some sizable time on a Jeff Goldblum-ruled, gladiatorial utopia, which is glorious. 

One of the film's other predicaments was simply some ill-timed humor. Serious moments aren't permitted to hold the expected weight or gravity because Waititi or one of the screen-writers thought it'd be funny to throw in a joke. I feel Waititi missed the mark on providing appropriately-timed comic relief to match the more serious situations. Instead of inserting jokes as a source of levity AFTER the event, Waititi chose to throw them straight in the midst of these situations. I think this film is the prime example of what most DC fans point to when they say they dislike the Marvel brand of humor. I think previously, these jokes were more subtly incorporated in appropriate situations as opposed to their overt inclusion here straight in the middle of an intense moment. 

In regards to action, Ragnarok is fairly low on that front when compared to the other Marvel-fare. The Thor-Hulk gladiator fight itself is enormously entertaining with a wealth of great moments, Hela invades Asgard in spectacular fashion, and the brewing third act showdown on Asgard has enough surprises and stunning spectacle to leave a favorable impression on viewers, but there simply aren't any other striking sequences in Ragnarok's arsenal. The film does however manage to make up for the lacking action in the technical arena.

Thor: Ragnarok is easily one of Marvel's most colorful films thus far with an array of splendid shots, wacky wardrobes, and some especially psychedelic sets tributing the considerably influential comic artist Jack Kirby. Mark Mothersbaugh also successfully composes one of Marvel's most diverse sounding film scores to date with both sweeping, grandiose themes and pulsating, electronic music to accompany the crazy cosmic side of things. The visual effects for the most part are also quite good, but there are a few noticeable inconsistencies (mainly some poor green-screening in moments), although casual viewers are unlikely to take notice of these insignificant imperfections. 

My only other significant issue lied with the characterization of Hela. Prior to seeing the film, I believed Marvel was overcoming their villain issue in their third phase, and I had high hopes that Hela would rise to the occasion and be one of the very best. While she certainly came across as intimidating thanks to Blanchett's performance and her demonstrations of power, Hela's motivations seemed to fall in line with simply feeling entitled to the throne of Asgard. Even though I understand her reasoning, I found it to be lacking and simply didn't deem her a compelling antagonist. There just wasn't enough to her character aside from the obligatory lust for power in my opinion.

One very welcome change however, was a better balance between Thor and Loki. Previously, I felt Hemsworth was always overshadowed by Hiddleston, but I feel Waititi managed to successfully tip the scales in Thor's favor without undercutting Loki. On that note, Chris Hemsworth feels much more in his element now that he can hang loose and make full use of his comedic abilities. I wouldn't call this his best outing as Thor, but it's certainly the most fun. By his side, Tom Hiddleston continues to demonstrate Loki's reputation as the God of Mischief throwing tricks into the mix left and right. The duo's dynamic is just as charged as it has been previously, so any viewers craving more of the trademark witty bickering between the two will be more than satisfied.

Don't discount the big green guy though, because Mark Ruffalo smashes onto the screen with two-pronged portrayal of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. This is a very different Hulk than the one we're used to seeing as he speaks and throws tantrums like a two year old, which actually makes sense considering he's been Hulk for two years and therefore the Hulk's intelligence would have developed as such. Drawing ample inspiration from the Planet Hulk storyline in the comics, Waititi brings the mystery of what happened to Hulk at the end of Age of Ultron to a satisfying resolution and positions Hulk as a standout supporting character in ways previously unthought of. Ruffalo's camaraderie with Thor as both Hulk and Banner is one of the elements that really energized the movie. Otherwise, his take on Banner is rather relaxed when compared to his performances in the last two Avengers films because the script simply doesn't demand much from him in terms of acting. 

Rounding out the Revengers roster is Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, who stands out as an impressionable newcomer and one of the coolest female Marvel heroes yet! Thompson remains a talent to watch as she adds Ragnarok to her list of standout supporting roles by granting Valkyrie an air of confidence comparable to the swagger of Han Solo. She also has great chemistry with Hemsworth, and I was relieved to see that a romance wasn't imposed on the two characters just yet, but I imagine I'd be accepting of it later down the line. 

As for the Asgardians, most are dismissed fairly quickly with scarce screentime or none at all, but Idris Elba's Heimdall is given some more prominence in the plot and Elba rises to the occasion. Honestly, the only other one worth mentioning is Anthony Hopkins, who once again imparts ancient wisdom on our characters. I will say that the dangling plot-thread regarding his character's disappearance was resolved a little too quickly, but Hopkins' status as an actor carries through and grants Odin the necessary gravitas as per usual. 

Elsewhere, director Taika Waititi voices the rocky gladiator combatant Korg. This is the character responsible for one of the most egregiously ill-timed jokes, but apart from that particular moment, Korg was a welcome source of soft-spoken comedic relief who would probably feel right at home in Waititi's other work (namely Hunt for the Wilderpeople).

All the while, Jeff Goldblum is clearly having a blast playing the Grandmaster as an especially over-exaggerated version of himself. If you love Jeff Goldblum, you'll be immensely entertained by his character because he's wacky, weird, and just about level of eccentric in between. Oh, I would also be remised if I failed to mention the wealth of easter eggs, references, cameos, and two post credit scenes lurking within Waititi's crazy cosmic comedy. Keep your eyes peeled, as per usual, and you'll be well rewarded with a Stan Lee appearance and substantial surprises.

On the antagonistic front, Cate Blanchett really elevates Hela through her performance despite the fact her character is especially underwritten. Blanchett ensures Hela is an imposing character, but the writing behind her character simply lacked the depth I was desiring. Karl Urban, on the other hand, interjects Skurge with a relatable viewpoint and surprisingly stood out alongside the superb supporting cast in a memorable stint. 

Thor: Ragnarok successfully stimulates the franchise with a bolt of electricity that should satisfy any who were displeased with his previous entires, but falls prey to many of the common criticisms associated with Marvel productions in addition to some poor pacing. Thor: Ragnarok may easily be the best Thor film yet, but it's far from thundering alongside the top tier Marvel Cinematic Universe installments in my eyes.

Film Assessment: B-